New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said Monday she hopes New Zealand and China negotiators could touch more specific grounds during this week's Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks.

Clark told Xinhua at a news briefing that during his visit to New Zealand, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao indicated Chinese Government's strong determination to pursue this Free Trade Agreement.

"We hope (the two sides) get close to the objective in their talks," said Miss Clark.

A seventh round of FTA talks between New Zealand and China began in Queenstown, New Zealand, Monday.

The one-week negotiation is described by experts as "crucial", for it is the first following Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to New Zealand in April.

During Wen's visit, China and New Zealand agreed to "step up progress" on free trade negotiations.

The two sides agree to achieve a "high-quality, comprehensive and mutual-acceptable deal" in one or two years.

Clark said this round of talks is surely very important and she would not take the advantage to expect all the issues being included in this week's talks, but hope the talks be more specific.

There have been six rounds of talks on the FTA since November 2004 and New Zealand experts said the two sides have encountered some difficulties, for instance, in agriculture and services.

Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Charles Finney said this round will be "the first real test" of "whether recent talks between Clark and Chinese Premier will add impetus to the negotiations."

New Zealand's leading negotiator David Walker said it's hoped that the leaders' call will translate to significant movement at the negotiating table this week.

He described the process as a bit like an iceberg: 10 percent negotiation and 90 percent consultation.

Source: Xinhua